


Chuliox: History and Worldbuilding

by madamn



Series: Far From Here [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Alien Gender/Sexuality, Alien Planet, Aliens, Gen, Intersex, Post-Apocalypse, Science Fiction, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:54:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23947264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamn/pseuds/madamn
Summary: The background and development of the planet Chuliox "Chul", the primary setting in Far From Here, my developing lesbian space opera.
Series: Far From Here [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720093
Kudos: 2





	1. The Planet

**Author's Note:**

> Just some world building notes for this story idea of mine, liable to change. FFH wasn't _going_ to be interspecies originally, but then I remembered how much I love aliens and world building. Maybe someday I'll actually write more plot and story things.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overview of the planet Chuliox "Chul" at the time of FFH.

**Astrology** : Chul is a somewhat larger and older planet than Earth with a slightly stronger gravitational pull. It has three moons, one much farther away than the other two. Chul orbits around a single yellow giant star, alongside many other planets; this is a larger solar system than Earth's, but the planets are much smaller, with few rivaling the size of Chuliox itself.

 **Geology (overview)** : There are very few islands in Chul’s single ocean, which covers about 40% of Chul's surface and is located in the planet's southern hemisphere. The southernmost pole is capped with ice. A great deal of the land-covered northern hemisphere is covered in lichen or grass-covered fields and recovering desert. There are also forests, though not many; several mountain ranges; lakes; river systems; and wetlands. The climate is warmer near Chul's equator, and cooler near its poles—especially the south pole.

**The South Pole (landmark)** : The southern ice cap is deep and vast. The ice seems to turn slowly over time, melting and growing, changing with the seasons; its coasts are never exactly the same year to year. It is unknown whether there is any land mass whatsoever beneath the ice, for the sentient species of Chul finds the environment inhospitable. Despite this, there are unique flora and fauna that dwell atop the ice, beneath it, and in the cold surrounding waters. 

**The Great Marsh (landmark)** : Wetland occurs in several places near the coast of the northern landmass, but by far the largest is a single marsh which is fed by the tides from the southern ocean. This marsh filters into a large freshwater river system to the north. The center of the marsh is more fertile, with a great deal more plant and wildlife than the landbound edges, which are bordered mostly by grassland and still-recovering wasteland. 

**The Marsh River System (landmark)** : The fresh water river system created by the great marsh has many tributaries and branches. Some of these waterways are very old, predating the great marsh, but have been further developed by it.

 **The Great River Canyons (landmark)** : Some of the oldest riverbeds have cut deep swathes into portions of the land, resulting in dramatic canyon formations. This occurs in several places: there are desert canyons, fertile canyons surrounded by forest, and river canyons which run deep into mountain ranges. The shelter and access to water has made many of these canyons into historical settlements for the planet's sentient species.

 **The Hive Ruins (landmark)** : Left over from a previous age, the hive ruins litter the northern landmass. They are thickest toward the equator, with less of them as the climate grows colder farther north. The ruins vary in size and form; from smaller shallower formations, to vast and complex structures that spread far and deep underground. Though many still stand and have become the foundations of modern societies, there are far more ruins than the current population could hope to occupy. Many hives remain dormant, crumbling and returning to the land, or else are home to local wildlife.

 **Ground Zero (landmark)** : Evidence of the conclusion of a great war, long past. This large impact crater was created when the enemy fired its greatest weapon at one of the largest of the ancient hives, burning deep into the planet. The event instantly destroyed everything within a large radius and disrupted Chul’s natural biospheres for years following. Many species faced or neared total extinction; the sentient species, included.

 **Past Chul** : Not a lot of details are known about pre-war Chul. It was once much more densely-populated, with more biodiversity than present Chul. It was once supposedly warmer, the ocean larger, and the southern ice cap smaller. Old Chul society used up much of the planet's resources, and the impact event drastically changed much of the planet.


	2. History and Society

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The history and background of the sentient species on Chuliox “Chul,” the great interplanetary war, subsequent impact event, and recovery since then.

**Overview** : The sentient species on Chuliox have names for other species and organisms but no name for themselves, beyond ‘people.’ While they are primarily warm-blooded, Chul’s people find it easier to function in warm or hot weather, while the cold makes them sluggish. Thus, most of their settlements are near the equator, and near sources of water, where other resources are often available. They appear to be mostly humanoid, and have three primary sexes: a close equivalent to females, an equivalent to males, and sexless ‘drones.’ They are traditionally matriarchal, but this is no longer necessarily the case. Chul’s people are a social species, for the most part, feeling more at ease when living in large groups. At the time of FFH, different parts of Chul are developed to different degrees. (Think China, where the cities have better technology than the rural provinces.) Chul society is made up of a number of city states of varying size and influence, though it is a political taboo for any city to attempt to usurp another. Conflicts are resolved diplomatically, for the most part. There is some diversity of language across Chul, and some dialects are more common than others, but Chul societies have a lot of common words.

 **Pre-War Society (overview)** : The people of Chul’s past looked and behaved differently to their modern counterparts in FFH. In the past, they appeared more insect-like, were cold-blooded, and lived in hive-like matriarchal settlements. The very rare females (queens) individually ruled a hive of males and drones, connected to their respective hives through a psychic network. The largest hives grew to the size of small nations, while some queens led only a couple dozen people. The overall population of Chul was once very large, so that territorial disputes were very common; queens warred with one another to expand their holdings and meet the needs of their individual hives. There was little regard for resource or land conservation (think locusts). As technology progressed, however, resource scarcity became less of an issue. Chul developed interplanetary travel and, with it, the ability to access a greater supply of territory and resources. Disputes between hives became less common, instead developing into a complex political system of treaties and negotiations. Chul’s warlike customs turned outward.

 **The Interplanetary War** : Most of the life-bearing planets that Chul discovered were not populated by sentient life forms. A few had progressed into something like a stone-age equivalent, but were no obstacle to Chul’s taking of their planets’ resources. Finally, though, Chul encountered a world with technology to rival its own—the name of this world and its people is no longer remembered. When Chul invaded, the ensuing war lasted many years. The enemy, which did not operate with a hive structure, learned to target Chul’s queens; the loss of a queen’s leadership and the psychic shock of her death would cause unrest and disorganization in Chul’s forces. Despite this, Chul held the upper hand, the enemy world barely keeping them at bay. One day, though, the enemy surprised Chul with a fleet amassed to invade Chuliox. Chul tried to beat the enemy back, decimating their numbers, but were unable to stop the enemy from deploying its final, terrible weapon.

 **The Impact Event** : The technology behind the enemy’s greatest weapon remains a mystery, but its impact was devastating, targeted at the very center of Chul’s greatest settlement. The largest hives were instantly destroyed, along with many of the remaining queens. The subsequent disruption of Chuliox's biospheres made the planet nearly inhospitable for many years, wiping out a majority of the planet’s lifeforms, drastically changing the landscape, and bringing Chul’s people to the brink of extinction. Much of their technology was lost. Chul’s people had already depleted the planet’s resources in time past, even before the impact event. Thus, society regressed rapidly, and people struggled to survive. The enemy was never seen again.

 **Post-Impact Recovery** : Despite Chul’s resource scarcity following the impact, the population was so few that previously-held war and conflict traditions soon ceased. People instead valued recovery of the land and of society. Where, before, dominant queens would kill or drive away rival queens, they began to form alliances. Any female was valued for her ability to produce children. Thus, the ratio of the females increased over time. A new societal structure began to form, with far less emphasis on serving a single female ruler.


	3. Biology and Sociology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A more detailed description of the sentient species on Chuliox, from before and after the impact event. Some fun alien biology and gender politics.

**POST-IMPACT PEOPLE**

**General description** : Humanoid, for the most part. Skin-tones range from browns, to grays, white, or black—sometimes mottled; honey brown skin is most common. The people of Chul have dark eyes with white sclera. Their hair grows short, straight, and wiry on their heads—seldom reaching past their necks, and is generally a darker color than the skin tone. Have five bluntly clawed fingers, and three sets of lightly fanged canines: two in the upper and one in the lower jaws. Possessing both an endoskeleton and vestigial exoskeleton, as well as a multichambered stomach. Breathing is done largely through the nose and mouth, but may also be also done through thinner patches of abdominal skin (however, if the face is suffocated, a person from Chul cannot last very long on cutaneous gas exchange alone.) They are omnivorous, and warm-blooded for the most part, though they become sluggish in the cold. The ratio of queens : males : drones is something like 20 : 37 : 43 

**Queens (females)** : About 20% of the population is female, with the ability to internally fertilize and gestate young. Queens resemble human women, with breasts and wider hips. Often they are a bit physically larger than males or drones. A queen has spines behind her ears, which may flex outward when she feels stressed or angry, and her claws are stronger than a male’s or drone’s. Her fangs and spines contain a toxin which acts as a muscle relaxant (in ancient queens, the toxin could be lethal). She has a high metabolism and requires a greater daily calorie intake to function well. If on the brink of death, a queen can enter into a recovery coma to prolong her life. Queens are limited empaths, with the ability to sense and lightly influence the moods of their chosen family units (which can vary in size and scope, though are never so large as the ancient hive minds ). When that group includes another queen, the connection goes both ways, though usually one queen is more influential. 

**Males** : About 37% of the population is male, able to produce eggs. Males appear, again, similar to human men in appearance, with a wider ratio of shoulders to hips. Their reproductive organs, however, remain internal unless in use. They are often somewhat smaller or shorter than queens, though larger than drones. In the past, males were primarily workers or fighters—the latter instinct remains, making males slightly more aggressive, though they are not necessarily stronger than queens or drones. A male’s fangs and claws are larger than a queen’s or drone’s, and his stamina is generally greater. His sense of smell is also somewhat stronger, and his vestigial armor is thicker. 

**Drones** : About 43% of the population is sexless. Drones’ physical appearance is a spectrum, and they may possess the physical traits of a queen or male—rarely both. The proper organ(s) may be physically present, but a drone cannot gestate or fertilize young, nor can they produce viable eggs. Drones are physically smaller than queens, and are often smaller than males, but are generally quite strong for their size. Young drones grow and develop more quickly than do males or queens, though their lifespan is no shorter. Their claws and fangs are more understated than a male’s or queen’s. Drones are the most sensitive to a queen’s empathic connection, second only to another queen. 

**PRE-IMPACT PEOPLE**

**General description** : Used to appear more insect-like, with an armor of exoskeleton and a second set of eyelids. They did not often used to have hair, or else it grew very short. Queens (females) were notably larger than males or drones, males were notably more aggressive, and drones were notably stronger. Ancient males were warriors, workers, and sometimes caretakers. Ancient drones were craftspeople, caretakers, warriors, or administrators. An ancient queen’s psychic ability was strong enough to communicate with and influence a great number of people in her hive, and she was highly territorial. The ratio of queens : males : drones was once something like 1 : 100 : 150 during their interplanetary colonial period. 

**SEX AND REPRODUCTION**

Males can produce eggs, and queens can gestate and fertilize eggs. Drones cannot reproduce, though they have the equipment and can go through the motions if they choose. The people of Chul reproduce via oviposition. When aroused, a male’s ovipositor will fill out and emerge from his genital slit; a queen’s genital pouch will become flexible enough to allow penetration. Both organs produce a natural lubricant, and both the lining of a queen’s genital pouch and within the ovipositor are very sensitive. Prior to fertilization, eggs are around 2-3 inches wide, and will grow to up to 8 inches inside a queen.   
Sex is also common for the sake of pleasure or intimacy between any combination of males, queens, and drones. There is no true mating season, although males require a few weeks to develop a clutch of viable eggs. A queen can carry a limited number of eggs at one time, but from a number of males. Larger ancient queens could carry dozens, while the modern females can carry an average of 6-8. The gestation period can be as short as 3 months, or as long as 6—the younger eggs may spend their remaining months of development in an external embryo if the queen so decides. When born, babies are about as helpless as human young, though young drones develop about three times as quickly—which is the only way that they are distinguishable at that age from young queens and males. 

**GENDER POLITICS**

Queens are traditionally placed in leadership roles, as strategists. Though some males or drones also occupy such roles, they’re working through a glass ceiling perpetuated by most of Chul society. Queens are stereotyped as natural and intelligent rulers, but also as scheming, greedy, and territorial. Males are stereotyped as assertive, but hot-headed and unwise. Drones are stereotyped as sensitive, nurturing, and often passive. Transgendered people on Chul are socially accepted and not uncommon among drones. There will be some grumbling from traditionalists if anyone assigned female (a queen) at birth identifies as anything other than that—left over from when population restoration was a primary concern, and from queens were far less numerous. For similar reasons, strictly monogamous relationships—particularly between two queens or between a queen and drone—are traditionally frowned upon, although any other relationship is acceptable (queen and male, male and male, etc.)


End file.
